Outerbridge Ends Home Career in Dramatic Fashion

In the final home game of the season, the Lady Toppers soccer team faced the Lady Raiders of Middle Tennessee State University. For seven lady toppers, it would be the last time they took the field at the WKU Soccer Complex. This game had very little implications on the season, as the two teams would face off in the first round of the Sunbelt Conference Tournament regardless of the result. However, neither team appeared to take this game lightly.
The two teams were evenly matched early on as both teams had several scoring opportunities. However, in the 30th minute, the Lady Toppers would finally capitalize. The Lady Toppers broke the tie on a Lindsey Williams’ corner kick. Williams played the corner kick in to Chrissy Tchoula, and the ball deflected off senior forward Amanda Buechel and into the back of the net. The Tops would take this lead into half time.
Once again in the second half, Middle Tennessee would have plenty of chances to score. MTSU took the first four shots of the half, but failed to find the net on any of these opportunities. The Hilltoppers held their lead late in the game before MTSU finally tied the game in the 82nd minute on a Regina Thomas goal. The score remained tied at the end of regulation and forced the game into golden-goal overtime.
The stage was set. One goal, ten minutes, one final home game for seven lady toppers. Both sides had their chances, but heading into the final seconds of the game, redshirt-senior forward Mallory Outerbridge once again became the hero. Outerbridge netted a goal past the diving Rebecca Cushing for the 2-1 win with 13 seconds left in overtime. Outerbridge left the fans with one last impression of her WKU career: one of greatness, poise, and the ability to score under pressure. For the final time in her career, Outerbridge left the WKU Soccer Complex on top.
With the win, WKU secured the 4th place seed for the Sunbelt Tournament, while MTSU fell to the 5th seed. The two teams will face off in the first round on November 2nd at 1 PM. The game could go either way, but WKU may find momentum coming off this overtime win against MTSU.